Thank you for your interest. My name is Jeff Hicks. I’m a faculty member at the University of Texas at Dallas.
“Dallas to Lubbock” is a project–part research, part hobby–focused on collecting, telling, re-telling and honoring the stories of the people, places and events–past, present and future–of the North, Midwest and Western parts of Texas, along the route from Dallas to Lubbock.
This is not ‘gotcha’ journalism in any way, nor is it ‘investigative journalism.’ It’s not intended to ‘stir things up,’ other than, perhaps, some conversation, some memories, a few laughs, or hope and optimism for our future. Of course there are goods and bads in every place, in every era, and always will be. But as you can see from what’s already been posted here, this project will intentionally stay focused on the positive.
A lesson I learned soon after beginning this project is this: You find whatever it is that you’re looking for. And the converse is true as well: Whatever you’re not looking for, you’ll likely overlook, even when it’s right there in front of you. If you’re looking for the good in people and places, you will find it.
And this is where you come in. I’d like to hear your story. And, it turns out, so would many others. This is one thing that people are often surprised by–that many do in fact want to hear your story, not the stories of ‘experts’ on whatever topic or historical event, although those are ok too, but real stories, of real life, from real people.
I’m not looking for anything fancy or polished. Stories about people or places; stories of the past, present, or future, that are in one way another connected to the route from Dallas to Lubbock, including those of people just passing through–all are welcome. I can help with writing or editing, if you wish, but I try to keep a light hand, editorially, so that it remains your story, not mine. If you’d prefer to remain anonymous in the published/posted version, that’s ok too. Nothing will be posted without your prior approval, and that’s a promise.
You can send me your story, or contact me here: jeff.hicks@dallastolubbock.com.
I look forward to hearing your story.
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p.s. why Dallas to Lubbock? Here’s the background, in case you’re interested:
I first began making this drive several years ago, to visit my daughter, who was enrolled at Texas Tech University in Lubbock, Texas. At first, I’m ashamed to admit now, I didn’t pay too much attention to the people or places I passed along the way (there’s a life lesson in there somewhere). 1) Reduce travel time while 2) avoiding speeding tickets–these were my twin goals.
Over time, however, I wised up a bit. I learned to slow down, and to listen to the stories of the people and the places along this way. Facilitating these conversations, and bringing all their stories to a wider audience, both to learn from, or simply to enjoy–these are among the purposes of this site.